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shanaqui's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
A Question of Proof is set in a boys' school, where the suspects are the masters and a boy has been killed. Each teacher has their own set of suspicious circumstances, but none of them seem quite right for the role of murderer... though Michael Evans is carrying on an affair with the headmaster's wife, self-confessedly met her in the place where the body was found, and his silver pencil has been found on the spot... A slim thread to hang a man, without more proof, but proof is exactly what the detectives are lacking.
Enter Nigel Strangeways, a private detective who happens to be friends with Evans. Like most Golden Age detectives, he has his quirks -- and he's a very Golden Age detective as well, offering a gentleman's way out and riddling with the police even well after he knows who committed the crime.
In many ways it's a fairly standard story, but there's some lovely prose in and amongst it. There's a joy in describing the cricket game played, for example, and in the boys' races -- you can feel the warmth of the summer day. That was definitely a feature that made this stand out, though the mystery itself didn't. There's a definite nostalgia for the boys' school environment, a lovingness in the description of the boys and how they carry on. (Less so for the masters, who are as sordid as anyone in their grudges and squabbles, though Evans' love for the headmaster's wife is rather put on a pedestal instead of judged.)
I'd be curious enough to read more of Blake's mysteries -- I believe Strangeways is a series detective -- though not for originality, just for the usual pleasure of reading something that is, in the end, comfortable and predictable. The gentlemen win, order is restored, and the innocent safe (unless they've already been murdered, but we do our best to ensure they're not very nice people).
Enter Nigel Strangeways, a private detective who happens to be friends with Evans. Like most Golden Age detectives, he has his quirks -- and he's a very Golden Age detective as well, offering a gentleman's way out and riddling with the police even well after he knows who committed the crime.
In many ways it's a fairly standard story, but there's some lovely prose in and amongst it. There's a joy in describing the cricket game played, for example, and in the boys' races -- you can feel the warmth of the summer day. That was definitely a feature that made this stand out, though the mystery itself didn't. There's a definite nostalgia for the boys' school environment, a lovingness in the description of the boys and how they carry on. (Less so for the masters, who are as sordid as anyone in their grudges and squabbles, though Evans' love for the headmaster's wife is rather put on a pedestal instead of judged.)
I'd be curious enough to read more of Blake's mysteries -- I believe Strangeways is a series detective -- though not for originality, just for the usual pleasure of reading something that is, in the end, comfortable and predictable. The gentlemen win, order is restored, and the innocent safe (unless they've already been murdered, but we do our best to ensure they're not very nice people).
quietjenn's review against another edition
3.0
Probably closer to 2 1/2. It's rather fascinating to look through the reviews on here and see so much enthusiasm for it, relatively speaking. I don't think it's bad, per se, just a bit overwritten and I didn't get a very strong sense of our gentleman detective, beyond the fact that he really likes tea. Also, points off for so many characters that don't seem to distinguish themselves very much and a frankly pretty absurd resolution. But it's also the first in the series and the second is the one that was actually recommended - as a Christmas mystery, as I was poking around for something festive - so I will at least give that one a go to see if I like it better.
bev_reads_mysteries's review
3.0
I decided to read the Blake book as my first entry into JNCL's Read Your Own Library Challenge. I'm in for the basic--Running Behind--level. Just committed to reading one book from my own library per month. I chose it because I was in the mood for a vintage mystery (written in 1935) and one that had an academic setting. I do love me a good academic mystery.
A Question of Proof is the first mystery in Blake's (aka Cecil Day-Lewis, England's Poet Laureate from 1968-72) series starring the charming and erudite Nigel Strangeways. The story is set a Sudeley Hall, a typical boys' preparatory school with the typical mix of popular boys and miscreants; favorite schoolmasters and loathsome teachers. Strangeways is called in when one of the obnoxious boys--the headmaster's nephew no less--is found strangled in one of the haystacks near the school.
The police soon focus their suspicions on Strangeways' friend Michael Evans, a schoolmaster who happens to be in love with the headmaster's wife....and who coincidentally met his love earlier that day in that same haystack. It doesn't help that he managed to lose a silver pencil while wooing his fair lady. Fortunately, the circumstantial evidence isn't quite strong enough to warrant an arrest and Strangeways has a chance to use his charm and his wits to get to ferret out clues--mostly psychological. When the headmaster himself is stabbed and the police decide to arrest their favorite suspects (Evans and the wife), Strangeways puts together a reenactment of the crime and brings down the final curtain.
This was a very nicely done first mystery. The language is lovely--as you would expect from a future Poet Laureate--and the characters are finely drawn. The superintendent may be a bit of a stereotype as a thick-headed policeman, but I think Blake/Day-Lewis is spot-on with his portrayal of the boys at school. Strangeways is most charming, yet a bit odd as it seems vintage detectives should be. The story held my interest and kept me guessing. I thought about the actual criminal, but couldn't really come up with a motive. Three and a half stars.
A Question of Proof is the first mystery in Blake's (aka Cecil Day-Lewis, England's Poet Laureate from 1968-72) series starring the charming and erudite Nigel Strangeways. The story is set a Sudeley Hall, a typical boys' preparatory school with the typical mix of popular boys and miscreants; favorite schoolmasters and loathsome teachers. Strangeways is called in when one of the obnoxious boys--the headmaster's nephew no less--is found strangled in one of the haystacks near the school.
The police soon focus their suspicions on Strangeways' friend Michael Evans, a schoolmaster who happens to be in love with the headmaster's wife....and who coincidentally met his love earlier that day in that same haystack. It doesn't help that he managed to lose a silver pencil while wooing his fair lady. Fortunately, the circumstantial evidence isn't quite strong enough to warrant an arrest and Strangeways has a chance to use his charm and his wits to get to ferret out clues--mostly psychological. When the headmaster himself is stabbed and the police decide to arrest their favorite suspects (Evans and the wife), Strangeways puts together a reenactment of the crime and brings down the final curtain.
This was a very nicely done first mystery. The language is lovely--as you would expect from a future Poet Laureate--and the characters are finely drawn. The superintendent may be a bit of a stereotype as a thick-headed policeman, but I think Blake/Day-Lewis is spot-on with his portrayal of the boys at school. Strangeways is most charming, yet a bit odd as it seems vintage detectives should be. The story held my interest and kept me guessing. I thought about the actual criminal, but couldn't really come up with a motive. Three and a half stars.
persey's review against another edition
2.0
It is flatly impossible for a boy to be an Hon. and have no nearer relatives than a maternal uncle!
angrygreycatreads's review against another edition
2.0
A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake is the first book in the Nigel Strangeways series. This involved a very proper British boys school with all the backstabbing and machinations that can evolve in these close knit communities. A murder occurs and there is a multitude of suspects to consider, many who have good reasons for lying. I found this a little slow to start and slow reading with all the period slang and references. There was some humor and the sleuthing follows a logical approach to investigation. I found the ending flat, almost anti-climatic with everything that had been exposed throughout the story. I’m not sure that I will read any others in this series. Perhaps fans of very period specific mysteries will enjoy it.
voraciousreader's review
2.0
I found this a bit bland, to be honest. I expected more (and not just because the author was a poet laureate) but was slightly disappointed.
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